DaDaFest International 2018

The international festival returns to Liverpool City Region venues this autumn from 1st November to 8th December 2018, showcasing a series of high-quality cutting-edge work which challenges stereotypes and celebrate disability and D/deaf cultures.

They are part of a busy programme that includes more than 50 exhibitions, performances, talks and workshops by both well-known mainstream audience artists and new emerging artists, all responding to the festival’s theme Passing: What’s your legacy?

Artists have been invited to explore the concepts of ageing, death and disability (passing time) and the changing nature of all our journeys and the legacies we leave (passing on).

The festival will also commemorate the end of the First World War as a key moment for modern recognition of disability as a social construct.

Events will be held at a wide range of venues across the city centre and beyond including St George’s Hall, Royal Court Liverpool, the Bluecoat, Tate Exchange, Constellations, the Unity Theatre and World Museum.

And this year DaDaFest is also expanding its geographical reach with a performance by the acclaimed Stop Gap Dance Company taking place at Storyhouse Chester.

Visual art is represented by Gina Czarnecki whose special exhibition of eco-friendly coffins designed by local and national artists Who We Are Now will be staged in the Oratory in the grounds of Liverpool Cathedral from November 1-18.

Unity will host Jonathan Griffith’sRetrospective throughout the festival period, and the artist will take part in special talks at the theatre on November 20 and in Chester Lane Library in St Helens on November 22.

And Martin O’Brien’s video installation Until The Last Breath is Breathed comes to St George’s Hall from November 21 – December 8. He will also be doing a performance lecture at the same venue on 29 November.

Jess Thom showcases Samuel Beckett’s Not I, the story of a woman’s life told at top speed by a disembodied character, ‘Mouth’, at the Bluecoat on November 23-24.The Touretteshero and Battersea Arts Centre production in association with the Albany sees performer Thom reclaiming Mouth as a disabled character.

Meanwhile laugh-out-loud comedy comes from Francesca Martinez (What the **** Is Normal) at the Unity Theatre on November 23 and to Chester Lane Library in St Helens on November 24. Laurence Clark will also be live at the Unity on November 24 with The Irresponsible Father’s Guide to Parenting.

Finally, DaDaFest team up with Action Transport and Unity Theatre for a seasonal show collaboration, for the highly theatrical and bold retelling of the classic family tale – Beauty and the Beast!

Beauty and the Beast shows that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder and that everyone’s attitude can, at times, be beastly!

DaDaFest Artistic Director Ruth Gould said: “I’m delighted by the programme we’re presenting during DaDaFest International 2018. We have some fantastic, absorbing and thought-provoking work developed by hugely talented artists working across a wide range of genres, from dance to visual art, music to comedy.

“The theme of this year’s festival, Passing: What’s your legacy? is a great starting point for conversations, both verbal and artistic, and I’m really looking forward to some exhilarating exchanges of thoughts and ideas over the course of DaDaFest International 2018.

“The programme includes moments that affirm, celebrate and inform on the very essence of what it is to live as people who are disabled, Deaf, young, old and the many interactions and happenings that we encounter as we journey through life. We all have stories, we all matter as we all part of the human race.”

Women of the World

The WOW – Women of the World festival, founded in 2010 by Southbank Centre’s Artistic Director, Jude Kelly CBE, is the biggest gathering of women and girls across the globe, reaching over 2 million people in 20 cities across five continents.

Each festival, made up of talks, debates, music, activism, comedy, workshops, mentoring, pop ups and performance, celebrates women and girls, takes a frank look at what prevents them from achieving their potential and raises awareness globally among women, men, girls and boys, of the issues they face as well as creating possible solutions.

The WOW – Women of the World Cardiff festival will include a range of workshops, talks, debates, performances and art open to the public on 24 & 25 November 2018.

Buy a WOW pass to gain access to all the events as you pick and mix your own timetable of talks, debates and performances, be it for one day or the whole weekend. Day pass holders have a choice of activities throughout the festival. If your 1st choice is full due to limited capacity do not worry. We encourage you to try other sessions – sometimes an unexpected second choice will be the best thing you’ll see!

Remaking Home
Thursday 8th November
Volcano Theatre, Swansea

WOW Women’s Film Club is taking part in a one day festival called “Remaking Home”.

Join us for a day of films, discussions, talks, children’s workshops, poetry and book readings, music, food and drink.

Short films to be screened on the day include the Wales premiere of Claire Fowler’s Salam, which recently debuted at London Film Festival.

Grow Your Own (PG)

Thursday 8th November
Doors: 11.30am
Start time: 12pm

Creche available for “Grow Your Own” screening.

A warm-hearted feel-good comedy. When a refugee and his family are given an allotment garden, some of the longstanding residents are upset. But eventually they bond over the joys of gardening and then team up to fight an invading mobile phone company.

I Am Nasrine (15)

Thursday 8th November
Start time: 6.15pm

I Am Nasrine follows the paths of Nasrine and Ali, sister and brother in a comfortable, middle-class Iranian home. When Nasrine has a run-in with the police, the punishment is more than she bargained for: their father orders them both to relocate to the UK. Arriving in Britain, their fate and their future are far from certain. As Nasrine finds the courage to accept her fate, she discovers that the end of her journey is really just the beginning.

HOW TO APPLY

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

We have a group of about 25 young people who are programming the festival from the work proposed, along with workshops, masterclasses, events etc. We are likely to get back to you with lots more questions. The core programme will be launched on the website in January 2019. We will then continue to build the programme and make further calls for work.

Black History Month

Race Council Cymru manages the Black History Wales wide (BHW) and Black History Cymru 365 portfolio in Wales and acknowledges the contributions made by Black people to local, national and world history and culture. It does this through delivering an informative educational and celebratory programme of events through the year, culminating in an end of year celebration of Black History Month in October annually. It encourages everyone, irrespective of ethnicity or colour, to take part in events, learn about our shared global history and celebrate diversity and cultural understanding.

Cardiff – the capital of Wales – was one Britain’s first multi-cultural cities, where numerous nationalities have lived side-by-side for decades.

BHM Wales is hosted by Race Council Cymru (RCC), which is the overarching umbrella body in Wales established by ethnic minority community who work to combat racial prejudice, race discrimination, harassment, abuse and violence. RCC promotes art, heritage and cultural activities for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities across Wales. Black History Month Wales is a network that engages, educates and empowers individuals, community groups and Wales-wide communities in acknowledging and recognising the contributions that the African Diaspora has made in the history of Wales’ economic and cultural development. It also allows the wider community to take part, learn and celebrate together to promote understanding and share our global history.

The ultimate goal is to see meaningful activities happening all year round, 365 – hence our Black History 5-year strategy BHCumru365 for all the days of the year and not just in October. Black History is Welsh history and should be studied, celebrated and showcased as part the national curriculum, additional educational activities, artistic programmes, College and University Studies and Museum and Gallery exhibits.

This year marks the 11th Year Anniversary of Black History Month celebrations across Wales and we are delighted to announce that the theme for Black History Month 2018 is ‘Icons of Black Wales’

These icons may be Welsh or have touched Wales in some way.

Over the past few months, we have been asking our grassroots communities to nominate significant individuals whose work and contributions have been impactive for recognition and acknowledgment across Wales to mark the theme

Icons of Black Wales and we have been overwhelmed by the brilliant contributions people of African descent and diaspora have been making here in Wales, both those on the list and many who’s names are not featured on the list.

Working with Walesonline, the nominations have been narrowed down to a 100 significant African/African Caribbean’s. The list will be published online on the 28th of September 2018 11.30am – 4.30pm to align with the launch of Black History Month with a Black History Youth Awards in Wales hosted by Professor Mark Drakeford AM with special guest Lord Herman Ouseley at the Pierhead Building Cardiff Ba, Performance by Kizzy Crawford & Ify Iwobi – Free Event and all welcome to attend.

We have a group of about 25 young people who are programming the festival from the work proposed, along with workshops, masterclasses, events etc. We are likely to get back to you with lots more questions. The core programme will be launched on the website in January 2019. We will then continue to build the programme and make further calls for work.

At work and at home, Joe Kilter has his routine. Some people think Joe is obsessive. Joe would prefer not to be thought of at all. A change in his routine turns his world askew. His life is no longer his own, his house is knocked sideways and he’s off his game. Joe Kilter is off-kilter. Feeling increasingly isolated, his life feels impossible until he is forced to exist in darkness.

Off-Kilter explores mental well-being, identity, feeling a little bit different from everyone else and not quite being yourself.

Unlimited Festival 2018

Wednesday 5 – Sunday 9 September

Southbank Centre, London

Unlimited is back for 2018, once again shining a light on extraordinary work by disabled artists.

Featuring the British Paraorchestra, writer and comedian Jackie Hagan, sitar master Baluji Shrivastav OBE, new work by Kaite O’Reilly and many more—dive into dance, performance, comedy, music and art that challenges perceptions and breaks down walls.

The festival has an abundance of free events, plus relaxed performances and BSL-integrated events, so there’s even more reason to get involved.

Born out of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, Southbank Centre’s Unlimited is a biennial festival with further Arts Council funding secured until 2020.

At the heart of the festival is the Unlimited commissions programme delivered by Shape Arts and Artsadmin. Supporting established, emerging and international disabled artists across all artforms, this programme aims to embed work by disabled artists within the cultural sector, reach new audiences and shift perceptions. The programme is funded by Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, British Council and Spirit of 2012.